We asked the BuzzFeed Community, “What do you wish you knew before your wedding day?” Here are their sage words of wisdom.

1. Choose bridesmaids VERY wisely.

“Choose bridesmaids wisely. Pick those who know how to put up with YOU and you know how to put up with in intense situations. They could make the day more stressful or dramatic (alcohol, money, or lack of attention on them). I could not imagine my kids looking at my wedding album and not knowing a bridesmaid, a person who I thought was my closest of close friend. It is not worth the drama. Stick to sisters and childhood friends. I got lucky, but many friends did not.” —Submitted by Jillian Breska (via Facebook)

2. And you can totally let them pick out their own dresses!

“Letting the bridesmaids pick out their own dresses is a decision I’m still very happy I made. They looked wonderful and there was no stress or grumbling over budgets. We made a lot of wedding party decisions based on that and it’s something I think more couples should keep in mind. No one needs a flask or another pair of earrings — cover half the cost of their hair or tux instead!” —Submitted by Kelsea Tooley (via Facebook)

3. Think about a day-of coordinator.

“Hire a day-of wedding coordinator! The discounts they can get you and referrals to good vendors will save you the cost of the coordinator, maybe more — plus having peace of mind on your big day, it’s so worth it. Don’t make your bridesmaids or family members run around trying to find people for pictures or call vendors that are late.” —Submitted by Erica Perry (via Facebook)

4. And the day of your wedding? YOU NEED TO EAT SOMETHING.

“EAT BREAKFAST! I was so busy rushing around the morning of my wedding that I didn’t eat anything. By the time I got to the reception at, oh, 5 o’clock, I was utterly famished, to the point of being lightheaded. And then every time I tried to take bite of dinner, somebody was tapping their glass with their fork to get my husband and me to kiss. I just wanted to eat my frickin’ food!” —Submitted by Sydney Riggs (via Facebook)

5. And definitely take some of your reception food to go for post-wedding leftovers! You did pay for them, after all.

“Have someone (a bridesmaid?) make up a box of food from the reception to take to your hotel room… Neither of us ate anything at the reception, which made the next day pretty rough…” —Submitted by Alex Meyer Horn (via Facebook)

6. Werk your inner Gisele and practice posing.

“I would have practiced posing for our photos in the mirror. Ours turned out fine (and some of them were great), but I don’t like how I look in a lot of them and it could have been avoided if I’d practiced looking fierce and fabulous a bit more. Plus, my hair was a bit weird looking from certain angles, so I should have taken some posed shots after my hair and makeup trial (which BTW is a must!)” —Submitted by lizaa454311122

7. Doing a “first look” can help you feel more calm.

“See each other before the ceremony. For the love of all that is holy, if I had just gotten to hug my darling groom, we wouldn’t have been so racked with nerves and actually enjoyed the ceremony portion (and looked less pale and nervous in our pre-ceremony photos).” —Submitted by Heather Vickers Kwok (via Facebook)

9. And don’t forget photos of the guests!

“I wish we had gotten more pictures of our guests. Our photographer is truly an artist and took some amazing artistic shots of the bridal party, but I wish she did a better job capturing the love and friendship of our guests. It’s only normal for a bride to want beautiful pictures of herself and her husband, but don’t forget about everyone else!” —Submitted by Jordan Juarez (via Facebook)

10. #SocialMedia is obviously a big deal, so figure out how to incorporate it — or not — into your wedding.

“Discuss sharing photos on social media BEFORE the wedding, and let your friends and family know whether or not it’s OK with you if they share, or if you would prefer that they don’t. I had a HUGE fight with my brother because I shared photos during the reception, and he thought it was an “unwritten rule” that the bride and groom share pictures when they are ready. In this day and age, with everyone posting to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, think about it, and discuss ahead of time so there are no hard feelings after the fact.” —Submitted by Rebecca Carpenter (via Facebook)

11. And definitely try to hire a videographer. Wedding videos are the BEST.

“Get a videographer! The day goes by so fast and you will forget the little things about the speeches and the ceremony. If it’s all on video, you can watch it again anytime you want! One thing I wish I had done with our wedding.” — ubmitted by Amy Stephenson (via Facebook)

12. Unless your theme is #VEGAS, try not to have TOO much fun.

“Only one glass of wine and champagne. I was having so much fun, I got hammered and wound up asleep by 9 p.m. Missed my after-party and someone stole a quarter of our wedding cards. I’m still married, it is still one of my top favorite days, and I had a blast. But seriously, two drinks only.” —Submitted by Shannon McLaughlin Hiller (via Facebook)

13. But that doesn’t mean you can’t loosen up a tad. Just stay hydrated!

14. If you’re throwing a reception, make sure you put enough time into thinking about the music.

“Skip the expensive flowers and spend the extra on a GOOD — like, really damn good — DJ. I cheaped out and got what I paid for. No good songs, nothing catered to the demographics, and he screwed up the bridesmaids’ entrance song.” —Submitted by Sunshine Then (via Facebook)

15. Wedding favors are not as important as you think they are.

“I would not have spent so much time on favors, because no one gives two shits about an artisan chocolate truffle in a hand-packed box tied with ribbon and a custom hand-cut leaf tied to it. Half of the people leave them. No one cares.” —Submitted by libbyh47c3bf161

16. You might think a facial is a great idea, but don’t get one right before your wedding!

17. Unless you’re obsessed with Cake Boss, it’s OK to take it easy with the desserts.

“People will not eat nearly as much cake as the bakery will try to tell you. You, your mother, and new in-laws really don’t need to be eating cake for the next two months.” —Submitted by emilyz4ca7794b4

18. A winter wedding might sound swell to you now, but think about travel restrictions.

“Don’t book your wedding during an unpredictable weather season! We had to adapt our December wedding during the worst ice storm in Dallas history. Twenty-plus guests couldn’t make it due to dangerous road conditions and canceled flights!” —Submitted by Morgan West Comiskey (via Facebook)

20. DIY is not for the faint of heart, y’all.

“I wish I’d known that DIY, although pretty and cost efficient, will essentially turn you into a twine-loving Lord Voldemort. You’ll become consumed by it, lose sight of reality, experience uncontrollable rage, and form an unhealthy obsession with The Chosen One (oh, hey, Martha).” —Submitted by whatjanedid

21. Really think about when you should have the rehearsal dinner.

“I wish I scheduled our rehearsal for later in the evening or on a different day other than the night before the wedding. Traffic was a nightmare and everyone was late and stressed. AND I wasn’t able to get over to our reception hall that night and so many things didn’t get put out (signs I stressed over making, Mad Libs for our wedding guests to do, etc.). If I had be there the night before, I could have made sure things were done right!” —Submitted by tiffanyb25

22. Don’t get lazy with the first dance.

“The first dance feels really long if you just sway back and forth. Even if you don’t sign up for professional dance lessons, do a trial run or two and plan on a couple extra moves to help break it up and make things more interesting. Oh, and do a dip at the end — it makes for great photos :).” —Submitted by Drea Tudor (Janssen)

23. You don’t have to splurge on a wedding gown.

“Instead of the flashy wedding dress, find a $300–$500 gown and buy it in white. I did this and waited for a huge sale and ended up with a $60 dress worth $400. It was still beautiful, and with some tailoring, it can look as luxurious as the thousand-dollar gowns. Remember, you’ll want more money for the beginning of your marriage and having a house/car/baby. Look for deals anywhere you can.” —Submitted by munchymann

24. But don’t forget about your feet.

25. Your wedding earrings may look good in pictures, but they could also be a pain.

“This is minuscule, but still… I wish I had worn French hook- or lobster-claw-fastened earrings. I wore post earrings, and after about 150 hugs from everyone, I was actually bleeding from the neck where the post had poked me repeatedly and had a scab there for two weeks!” —Submitted by emilyg35

26. And corsets are going to do exactly what you think they’ll do.

“That the stays or boning whatever its called to keep your dress in shape means sitting down hurts a lot and you should only stand/lie down so you don’t feel like dying and sit half-naked waiting for someone to run to your house and bring you any dress in your closet